Lifestyle

Cash Rewards Nearly Double Smoking Quit Rates in Trial of Underserved Patients

A four-year randomized trial testing incentives alongside lung cancer screening found that payments of up to $600 outperformed free quitting medication alone, researchers reported this week.

Study Finds Food Processing Itself, Not Just Nutrients, Alters Insulin and Brain Response

A tightly controlled Virginia Tech trial matched two meals down to the gram on calories, fat, protein, sodium and water. The only difference left was processing — and it was enough to shift insulin levels and brain activity in regions tied to reward.

Long sleep tied to higher risk of kidney damage in people with type 2 diabetes, study finds

A six-year study of adults with type 2 diabetes found that those who habitually slept longer were more likely to develop or worsen kidney disease, researchers reported — though they caution the finding is observational and sleep itself may be a marker of vulnerability rather than a cause.

Study links for-profit hospital ownership to higher death rates, points to nurse staffing

A study of more than 1.17 million patients across 941 hospitals in 10 states found higher mortality and readmission rates at for-profit facilities than at nonprofits — and traced a meaningful share of the gap to thinner nurse staffing.

New Trial Finds a Way to Narrow the Racial Gap in End-of-Life Planning

A six-year, federally funded trial across Southern clinics found that a facilitator-led conversation about end-of-life wishes — not a self-guided form — closed a long-standing gap between Black and white patients, even though neither method alone beat the other outright.

Breast Cancer Diagnoses Are Rising Fastest in Women Under 50, New Data Show

American Cancer Society figures show incidence climbing nearly twice as fast in women under 50 as in older women, as an oncologist explains to CBS News what is — and isn't — driving the trend.

WHO issues first global guidelines for treating childhood obesity

The World Health Organization says structured diet, activity and behavioral support — not drugs or surgery — should remain the first response to obesity in children under 10, with medication and surgery reserved for older adolescents only after supervised lifestyle programs fail.

FDA seeks public input on ibogaine trial design as federal psychedelic-medicine push accelerates

The agency's request for comment on dosing and safety protocols is the latest step in a federal and state effort to study the psychedelic compound ibogaine for addiction and PTSD, even as published research documents serious heart-rhythm risks.

Flowers Foods recalls Nature's Own Hawaiian Bread over undeclared milk

The bakery giant pulled two sizes of its sweet white bread from five states after discovering some packages omitted milk from the ingredient label, an error that can trigger severe allergic reactions.

The American Society of Hematology issued its first standardized diagnostic thresholds for iron deficiency, raising the ferritin cutoff that doctors use to flag the common blood disorder.

Medicare Advantage Premiums Are Falling for 2027 — but the Real Cost May Not Be

CMS says the average Medicare Advantage premium will drop 16.5% next year, but rising out-of-pocket caps and quietly trimmed perks are prompting financial advisers to tell seniors to look past the sticker price before open enrollment begins October 15.

Cincinnati pizzeria recalls four frozen pizza varieties over undeclared soy allergen

Saint Francis Apizza LLC pulled its Pepperoni, Plain Cheese, Supreme and Mushroom and Onion frozen pizzas after finding that labels omitted soy, a federally designated major allergen. No illnesses have been reported.

FDA Is Chasing Seven Food Poisoning Outbreaks With No Known Cause

More than 360 Americans are sick in seven active multistate outbreaks of Listeria, E. coli and Salmonella that federal investigators still cannot trace to a specific food, even as a rule meant to speed such tracing has been pushed back to 2028.

WinCo Foods recalls salsa bean dip trays after viral video sparks peperoncini recall

WinCo Foods has pulled two deli bean dip products from stores in eight Western states after tracing them to a peperoncini lot that G.L. Mezzetta recalled over a pest complaint that went viral on social media.

As the worst flu season in years ends, federal vaccine advice stalls and others step in

The CDC is closing the books on a flu season that killed 190 children, even as it carries over last year's shot guidance unchanged into the new season. Pediatricians, a vaccine-safety watchdog and major pharmacy chains are filling the gap this week with their own advice: get vaccinated now.

Stewart's Shops Recalls Two Ice Cream Flavors After Metal Found in Carton

The upstate New York convenience-store chain pulled half-gallon cartons of Heavenly Medley and Vanilla-Chocolate-Strawberry ice cream from shelves in three states after a customer discovered a piece of metal inside.

Frozen berry recall reaches Trader Joe's as Chilean supplier's E. coli traceback widens

A recall that began in July with blueberries at a Florida grocer now stretches to 30 states and, for the first time, a third national retailer — even though the E. coli outbreak that originally triggered it was declared over three weeks ago.

Walmart Recalls 4.4 Million Grill Brushes as Wire-Bristle Hazard Recalls Multiply

The retailer's house-brand Expert Grill cleaning tools are the fourth wire-bristle grill brush line pulled from U.S. shelves in 2026 after federal regulators found the bristles can detach and lodge in food.

Fourth Texas pharmacy recalls IV glutathione as FDA endotoxin warnings widen

Greenwich Rx pulled nationwide lots of its compounded glutathione injection after two patients needed emergency care, making it the fourth compounding pharmacy in two months to recall the popular wellness drug over bacterial toxin contamination.

Sprout outbreak traced to contaminated seed supplier grows to 76 cases in 16 states

Federal health officials say a seed lot shipped to multiple growers is behind a rare dual-pathogen outbreak of E. coli and Salmonella linked to alfalfa sprouts, with case counts still climbing five months after the first illnesses were recorded.

Walmart pasta recall widens to cover all lots after listeria concerns

Gias Foods expanded a two-week-old recall of its bettergoods-brand Lemon Alfredo Fettuccine to every lot code on Thursday, after state inspectors found Listeria monocytogenes in the frozen pasta sold nationwide at Walmart.

CDC Declares End to Year's Largest Backyard-Poultry Salmonella Outbreak

Investigators closed the five-month, seven-strain outbreak after tracing illnesses in 46 states and Puerto Rico to chicks and ducklings sold through hatcheries and feed stores, with children under five making up nearly a quarter of cases.

FDA elevates jalapeno dressing recall to highest risk category

Regulators classified a months-old recall of a Texas-made salad dressing as Class I, the agency's most serious designation, after tracing contaminated diced jalapenos to a broader Salmonella outbreak.

AAP Revises Childhood UTI Guidelines for First Time Since 2011, Favoring Shorter Antibiotic Courses

The American Academy of Pediatrics has widened the age range covered by its guidance on urinary tract infections, set a 72-hour testing window for feverish infants and toddlers, and endorsed shorter antibiotic courses, citing fifteen years of new research.

E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk cheese expands to nine states, prompting nationwide recall

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company pulled all varieties of its Graziers raw milk cheese after federal investigators tied 13 illnesses, including three kidney complications in mostly young children, to the product.

Merck pulls last-resort antibiotic Recarbrio from US market, citing no safety issue

The drugmaker says it will stop selling Recarbrio, a hospital antibiotic reserved for drug-resistant infections, in a move specialists call a symptom of a broken market for medicines meant to be used sparingly.

CPSC and Tyco renew warning on decades-old fire sprinklers after blaze killed 10 in Massachusetts

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Tyco Fire Products are urging building owners nationwide to check for recalled O-ring sprinkler heads, more than two decades after a 35-million-unit recall, following a Fall River, Mass., fire that killed 10 assisted-living residents.

FDA Traces Multistate E. Coli Outbreak to Sierra Nevada Cheese Co.'s Graziers Raw Milk Line

Federal regulators say 13 people in nine states have fallen ill, eight of them hospitalized, after eating raw milk cheddar and jack cheeses from a Northern California creamery, which is now recalling its entire Graziers line.

FTC and CMS warn of Medicare scams as Open Enrollment nears, hold public roundtable

Days before Medicare's Oct. 15 enrollment window opens, the FTC and CMS are holding a public warning campaign on health-insurance scams, citing $3.5 billion in reported impersonation-fraud losses in 2025.

FDA approves Juvmo, first new class of Parkinson's drug in decades

AbbVie's tavapadon, sold as Juvmo, targets dopamine receptors no approved Parkinson's drug has selectively addressed before, giving doctors a single medication usable from early diagnosis through the motor complications that follow years on levodopa.

South Bronx Legionnaires' Cluster Grows to 23 Cases as Source Remains Unconfirmed

A community cluster of Legionnaires' disease in Melrose and Morrisania has sickened 23 people and killed two since early September, even after New York City ordered every cooling tower found to carry the bacteria disinfected.

Pennsylvania's measles outbreak grows to 890 cases as U.S. total tops 3,600

Pennsylvania's measles outbreak has grown to 890 cases and four deaths, the state's worst in decades, as the national case count tops 3,600 and officials clash over how the death toll is being counted.

USDA orders recall of 167,639 pounds of meat sold under a fake inspection stamp

Federal inspectors say a North Carolina company shipped pork, beef and goat products bearing a counterfeit USDA mark nationwide, in a Class I recall the agency calls its highest health risk.

Mezzetta Recalls Greek Peperoncini Lot After Viral Video Shows Pest in Jar

A single lot of Golden Greek Peperoncini is off shelves after a customer's video led G.L. Mezzetta to trace and pull the jar within days — a case study in how fast a viral clip now moves through the food-recall system.

Salmonella Outbreak Tied to Idaho Broccoli Sprouts Grows to 32 Cases in Six States

Federal investigators say illnesses linked to Evergreen Fresh Sprouts' broccoli sprouts have nearly tripled since the September recall, reviving scrutiny of a grower with two prior multistate outbreaks.

Raw Milk Cheddar Recalled Nationwide After E. coli Outbreak Hospitalizes Children in Nine States

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company has pulled every variety of its Graziers raw milk cheese from stores and restaurants after federal investigators linked it to 13 illnesses — most of them in children age 5 and under — including eight hospitalizations and three cases of kidney-damaging HUS.

FDA Approved a New Flu Vaccine in August. The CDC Still Won't Recommend It.

A federal advisory system that has guided U.S. vaccine recommendations for 60 years has stalled since a court fight over Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s overhaul, leaving a newly approved mRNA flu shot — and several other vaccine decisions — in limbo this fall.

COVID-19 Activity Rises in Wastewater Across 27 States, CDC Data Show

Federal surveillance points to a seasonal uptick concentrated in the Northeast and Midwest, though hospitalizations remain low nationally.

CDC survey finds teens are doing better, but the new report leaves out drugs and sex

A redesigned federal youth survey shows declining teen sadness and rising fruit and vegetable intake, but researchers say the report strips out decades of tracked data on substance use, sexual behavior and LGBTQ+ students.

CPSC Recalls 25,000 Children's Dressers as Imported Furniture Keeps Failing Federal Tip-Over Standard

The Aitjunz 8-drawer dresser is the latest of more than a dozen imported models pulled this year for violating a 2023 rule meant to stop children from being crushed by unanchored furniture.

CPSC Recalls 21,380 NEWDERY Power Banks a Year After Warning Consumers the Company Wouldn't

A formal recall of fire-prone lithium-ion power banks arrives more than 15 months after regulators first told consumers to stop using them — because the importer had refused to act on its own.

New York spice importer recalls cinnamon seasoning after lead found in state testing

Galil Importing Corp. pulled its Lior Cinnamon Ground Seasoning from six states after Maryland regulators found elevated lead, the latest in a string of cinnamon recalls since 2023 that has exposed a gap in federal food-safety rules.

FDA Advisers Back Blood Test That Screens for a Dozen Cancers at Once

An FDA advisory panel voted that the benefits of GRAIL's Galleri blood test outweigh its risks, a narrow endorsement that could bring the first multi-cancer screening test toward full federal approval and, eventually, insurance coverage.

Rent Is Now Squeezing the Middle Class, Too, New Survey Finds

A nationally representative survey finds one in five middle-income renters missed or were late on a rent payment in 2025 — the sharpest one-year jump since researchers began tracking the measure.

FDA adds two food-poisoning outbreaks to its tracker without naming a food

Two new active investigations covering 65 illnesses from E. coli and Listeria appeared on the FDA's public outbreak list this week with no source identified, adding to a page a food-safety attorney says already carries 645 unexplained cases.

Walmart Recalls Frozen Fettuccine Alfredo Over Listeria Contamination Risk

Gias Foods pulled two lots of its bettergoods-brand Lemon Alfredo Fettuccine sold nationwide at Walmart after state inspectors detected listeria bacteria, less than a year after a separate outbreak tied to prepared pasta sickened dozens across the country.

Wakefern recalls ShopRite-brand organic applesauce after mold toxin exceeds safety limit

Routine FDA testing found the mold-produced toxin patulin above the federal action level in one lot of Wholesome Pantry Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce, prompting Wakefern to pull the jars from ShopRite and four sister chains across the Northeast.

USDA Recalls 167,000 Pounds of Meat Sold Under a Counterfeit Inspection Stamp

Federal investigators say a North Carolina processor shipped raw pork, beef and goat nationwide bearing a fake USDA mark, the agency's highest-severity recall class, with no illnesses reported so far.

FDA widens warning on weight-loss supplements laced with a poisonous plant

Federal regulators have added three more products to a list of dietary supplements found to contain toxic yellow oleander instead of the tejocote root advertised on the label, extending a safety saga that has run since a toddler's 2022 poisoning and now covers more than 30 products.

CDC Survey Finds Teen Mental Health Improving, but a Narrower Report Draws Scrutiny

A new national survey shows fewer U.S. high schoolers report sadness, poor mental health or suicidal thoughts, and more are eating fruits and vegetables — but the report leaves out data on sexual violence, opioid use and LGBTQ youth that shaped past editions.

US regulators recall 195,000 heated blankets after 53 burn injuries

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says JKMAX electric blankets and heating pads sold on Amazon can overheat and ignite, the third U.S. safety action against a heated-bedding brand since mid-July.

Hayward Recalls 4,600 Gas Pool Heaters Over Carbon Monoxide Risk

The CPSC says the company's high-end dual-fuel Universal-HC heaters can produce elevated carbon monoxide during operation; no injuries have been reported, and Hayward says most units are already repaired.

Melissa & Doug recalls 84,000 Target-exclusive fire truck toys over choking hazard

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says a plastic hose-shaped port on the Lights & Sound Fire Truck Activity Board can detach and choke young children. Melissa & Doug is offering refunds, replacements or store credit to owners of the toy, sold only at Target since mid-2025.

Study finds teen girls' fatigue tied to heavy periods and skipped meals, not iron deficiency

A Lund University study of 485 Swedish teenagers found that iron deficiency, despite being common, did not predict which girls felt most tired — heavy menstrual bleeding, skipped meals and daily nicotine use did.

Gluten-free bread and flour mixes recalled after "certified" plantain flour tests positive for wheat gluten

GF Blends pulled three baking mixes sold nationwide on Amazon and its own websites after independent testing found wheat gluten far above the federal threshold for a "gluten-free" claim — a direct risk for people with celiac disease.

Indiana Snack Maker Recalls Bacon-Cheddar Chips Over Undeclared Soy

Saratoga Potato Chips pulled bags of its J. HIGGS Loaded Bacon & Cheddar chips from five states after finding undeclared soy, the same manufacturer's third allergen-labeling recall since 2020 and a fresh example of the leading cause of U.S. food recalls.