HEALTH

The incidence of one type of heart attack has steadily decreased in the US since 1996, regardless of gender or ethnicity, to the lowest rates in years, according to a new study.

Over-the-counter allergy and asthma drugs helped obese, diabetic mice lose weight and control their blood sugar, researchers reported on Monday.

Indonesia has confirmed its first death linked to the H1N1 flu virus after a 6-year-old girl suffering from severe pneumonia died in Jakarta, the health ministry said.

Saudi Arabia, which is gearing up to host hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims later this year, announced its first death from H1N1 flu Monday.

Enjoying an iced coffee? Better skip dinner or hit the gym afterwards, with a cancer charity warning that some iced coffees contain as many calories as a hot dinner.

If you look upon fitness addicts as shallow narcissists suffering grimly for the body beautiful, it may be time to look again.

Proteins in spinal fluid accurately detect early-stage Alzheimer's disease in patients and could pave the way for better drug research, Swedish researchers said on Tuesday.

New studies have found direct evidence of a lung cancer risk from the presence of colorless, odorless radon gas in many homes, a United Nations committee said in a report released Tuesday.

Even among those people who have had pre-cancerous growths on previous colonoscopies, waiting ten years after two negative such tests could be safe, according to a new study.

Moms-to-be who smoke but quit early in pregnancy can sharply reduce their risk of having a premature or too-small baby, new research in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology shows.

A small study suggests that obese adults could improve their balance by shedding pounds and boosting their muscle strength -- with weight loss being especially effective.

The world's population of older people is growing at the fastest rate ever seen and the old will soon outnumber the young for the first time, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the ordinary seasonal flu vaccine on Monday and said Americans should plan to be vaccinated.

Human Genome Sciences Inc said on Monday that its experimental lupus drug succeeded in a late-stage clinical trial, shocking many who had written the product off, and sending the stock up more than 200 percent.

Closing schools at the first sign of a new pandemic might delay the worst so health officials can prepare, but cannot prevent the spread of the disease, British researchers said on Monday.

Ordinary cells reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells can help repair damaged heart tissue in mice, researchers reported on Monday in a study that shows a potential practical use for the experimental cells.

A new study suggests that the timing of outbreaks of rotavirus -- the leading cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children -- may have more to do with differences in birth rates across the United States than with environmental factors such as climate.

About a quarter of patients who have superficial blood clots on their legs may be at risk for more serious clots deep in their veins, Austrian researchers reported on Monday.

President Barack Obama said on Monday spiraling healthcare costs were battering American families as he sought to bolster wavering public support for plans to revamp the $2 trillion healthcare industry.

The World Health Organization issued the following guidelines on Saturday about ways to prevent and fight flu, especially in poor areas where medical facilities may lack staff, beds and drugs:

U.S. President Barack Obama's plans to overhaul the $2.5 trillion healthcare industry got a boost on Tuesday as Democrats in the House of Representatives offered sweeping legislation and predicted passage on schedule by August.

Using a relatively new way to test for blockages in the heart's arteries as a general screening exam could lead to more than thousands of new cases of cancer in the US, according to a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Later diagnosis and differences in treatment may be among the reasons that African Americans are less likely than whites to survive colon cancer, a study published Monday suggests.

The steady climb in the incidence of thyroid cancer since the early 1980s has been attributed to an increase in screening in recent years and the diagnosis of more small tumors.

Healthcare workers should get priority access to H1N1 flu vaccinations to ensure health systems keep functioning as the swine flu pandemic spreads around the globe, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

Schizophrenia patients given a cheap older drug are less likely to die prematurely than people on newer treatments, despite the older product's well-known adverse side effects, Finnish researchers said on Monday.

Using condoms consistently can help prevent people from contracting genital herpes, new research in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows.

Saying the new H1N1 virus is

The United States spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world but has higher rates of infant mortality, diabetes and other ills than many other developed countries.