Resources & Information

STATNews
May 13, 2025
You don’t need to look further than a can of Alani Nu (center stage in the above illustration) to see that the $22 billion energy drink industry has gotten a makeover. Long dominated by labels like Monster and Red Bull that use extreme sports swagger to appeal to young men, the industry is tapping into the aesthetics of health and wellness to reach new demographics and continue its exponential growth.

But it’s not just aesthetics. Many of the newer brands tout “better for you ingredients,” STAT’s Sarah Todd reports, from biotin to lion’s mane mushrooms. Despite the magical powers one might assume “lion’s mane mushrooms” have, many energy drinks still contain supercharged doses of caffeine that are particularly risky for children, teenagers, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with underlying heart conditions. Health experts say the new wellness-themed marketing may be worsening consumer confusion over the risks.

WIRED
May 12, 2025
In early May, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would split up the agency’s main arm devoted to scientific research. According to a report from NPR, scientists at the 1,500-person Office of Research and Development were told to apply to roughly 500 new scientific research positions that would be sprinkled into other areas of the agency—and to expect further cuts to their organization in the weeks to come.

This reorganization threatens the existence of a tiny but crucial program housed within this office: the Integrated Risk Information System Program, commonly referred to as IRIS. This program is responsible for providing independent research on the risks of chemicals, helping other offices within the agency set regulations for chemicals and compounds that could pose a danger to human health. The program’s leader departed recently, ahead of the restructuring announcement.

NPR
April 18, 2025
When hit with a headache or fever, people often reach for over-the-counter painkillers like acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as their first line of defense. Used correctly, these drugs can be safe and effective for pain relief. That means following the instructions on the label and the advice of a health care provider.

“But that’s not how we take these medications in real life,” says Trisha Pasricha, a physician and instructor at Harvard Medical School. Some people take too much pain medication too quickly, misdiagnose an ailment and take the wrong drug, or unknowingly take multiple pain relievers at the same time.

MedPage Today
April 17, 2025
Hearing loss may play a bigger role in dementia than previously thought, data from a U.S. cohort study suggested. In a sample of nearly 3,000 older adults, up to 32% (95% CI 11.0%-46.5%) of incident dementia over 8 years could be attributable to any degree of audiometric hearing loss, reported Jason Smith, PhD, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and co-authors. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were similar by hearing loss severity. For mild hearing loss, the PAF was 16.2% (95% CI 4.2%-24.2%). For moderate or greater hearing loss, it was 16.6% (95% CI 3.9%-24.3%), Smith and colleagues wrote in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Medical News Today
April 2, 2025
Everyone knows that exercise plays an important role in helping you live a long and healthy life. Current United States health guidelines recommend adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week, and at least 2 days of strength training. However, many people face barriers to working out throughout the week, including time restraints, limited access to exercise equipment, and lack of motivation.

Now a new study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association says people who are only able to workout on the weekends — known as the “weekend warrior” approach — are still receiving similar health benefits than if they had spread out their workouts throughout the week.

NC Medical Society
March 26, 2025

Are you keeping a mental list of all the sources of microplastics finding their way into your daily life? You may have another culprit to consider: It’s gum, according to a new pilot study that found chewing just one piece can release hundreds to thousands of microplastics into saliva.

The study is currently being peer-reviewed and will be presented at the biannual meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego Tuesday. Once the review is complete, the authors hope the report will be published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters later this year.