Health & Safety

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 86 million Americans over age 20 have abnormal blood sugar levels. Over the long run, that can seriously damage the eyes, nerves, kidneys and blood vessels.

Task Force Urges Screening Of Overweight Adults For High Blood Sugar

7:53pm October 26, 2015

by Rae Ellen Bichell

In response to a big jump in diabetes in the U.S., a federal advisory panel advises tens of millions of overweight Americans to get their blood tested, and intensive counseling if sugar's too high.

Animated Map: Follow Polio's Eradication — And Stubborn Persistence

Next Year Could Mark The End Of Polio

7:25pm October 26, 2015

by Jason Beaubien

Nigeria is now off the list — the last case was in 2014. That leaves Afghanistan and Pakistan as the last two countries harboring the virus.

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'East Los High' Serves Up Sex Ed With Its Teen Drama

7:08pm October 26, 2015

by Maanvi Singh

For three seasons, fans have flocked to Hulu for East Los High. The teen soap follows its characters through the tumult of adolescence and uses a secret weapon to deliver life lessons along the way.

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How many hot dogs are safe to eat? We tackle your questions about an expert panel's conclusion that processed meats are carcinogenic.

Processed And Red Meat Could Cause Cancer? Your Questions Answered

6:35pm October 26, 2015

by NPR Staff

An expert panel's conclusion that hot dogs and yes, even turkey bacon are carcinogenic had many of you wanting more details. Which cancers? How much is safe to eat? We tackle your questions.

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Girls start the day with a prayer at the Veerni Institute in Jodhpur, India. It's a boarding school where nearly half the students are child brides.

For Child Brides, Pass 10th Grade Or Become In-Laws' Servant: #15Girls

6:09pm October 26, 2015

Nimmu lives in northern India and was married at 10. But she's found a way to delay moving in with her husband.

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It may be fine. But do we know for sure?

Why Do People Get So Bent Out Of Shape About Drinking While Pregnant?

8:24am October 26, 2015

by Nancy Shute

A lot of people think doctors are being way too absolutist about moderate drinking in pregnancy. But the doctors say since there's no way to know what's safe, it's not worth the risk.

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Fetal Cells May Protect Mom From Disease Long After The Baby's Born

8:11am October 26, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

In 1893, a German scientist made a striking discovery: Cells from a fetus hide out in a mother's body after birth. Scientists say these cells alter the risk of breast cancer and autoimmune diseases.

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Fatmeh (left) fled Syria with her family and now lives in Lebanon, where she works in the fields instead of attending school.

The Story That Made Our Interpreter Cry: #15Girls

4:36pm October 25, 2015

by Marc Silver

It's a tough life for many of the Syrian kids who are now refugees in Lebanon: working in the fields up to 14 hours a day instead of going to school.

Could Depression Be Caused By An Infection?

8:23am October 25, 2015

by Bret Stetka

Infection and autoimmune activity result in inflammation. And psychiatric researchers now suspect that inflammation may play a role in some cases of depression and other mental illnesses.

Jeffrey Okonye (left) and Oviea Akpotaire are fourth-year medical students at the University of Texas Southwestern.

There Were Fewer Black Men In Medical School In 2014 Than In 1978

8:24pm October 24, 2015

by Lauren Silverman

Medical school applications have gone way up in the past few decades. But one group of applicants has not grown: black men.