Research News

Can CBD Reduce Cravings And Stress In Opioid Users?

4:23pm May 21, 2019

by Allison Aubrey

Researchers wanted to know if CBD can help people who are former opioid users resist relapse. Their double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial suggests CBD can help reduce stress and cravings.

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A new study finds that women who ate a low-fat diet and more fruits, vegetables and grains, lowered their risk of dying from breast cancer. But which of those factors provided the protective effect?

Calories, Carbs, Fat, Fiber: Unraveling The Links Between Breast Cancer And Diet

3:17pm May 18, 2019

by Allison Aubrey

A new study finds that women who ate a low-fat diet and more fruits, vegetables and grains, lowered their risk of dying from breast cancer. But which of those factors provided the protective effect?

The increase in suicide rates was highest for girls ages 10 to 14, rising by nearly 13% since 2007. While for boys of the same age, it rose by 7%.

Suicide Rate For Girls Has Been Rising Faster Than For Boys, Study Finds

5:15pm May 17, 2019

Researchers found that the increase was highest for girls ages 10 to 14 in the U.S., rising by nearly 13% since 2007. The increase for boys of the same age was 7%.

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Science

Researchers Say Evidence Shows What You Eat Really Does Matter

6:44am May 17, 2019

by Allison Aubrey

Two new diet studies add to the evidence that when it comes to staying healthy, counting calories may not be enough. What really matters is what you choose to eat and the quality of your diet.

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An example of one of the study's ultra-processed lunches consists of quesadillas, refried beans and diet lemonade. Participants on this diet ate an average of 508 calories more per day and gained an average of 2 pounds over two weeks.

It's Not Just Salt, Sugar, Fat: Study Finds Ultra-Processed Foods Drive Weight Gain

7:49pm May 16, 2019

by Maria Godoy

"Landmark" study finds a highly processed diet spurred people to overeat compared with an unprocessed diet, about 500 extra calories a day. That suggests something about processing itself is at play.

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Debris blankets the north side of one of the Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean. Researchers found a huge amount of plastic both onshore and buried in the sand.

Remote Island Chain Has Few People — But Hundreds Of Millions Of Pieces Of Plastic

1:48pm May 16, 2019

by Christopher Joyce

The Cocos Keeling Islands make up barely 6 square miles in the Indian Ocean. It's a good place to measure debris because almost no one lives there. Scientists were flabbergasted by what they found.

Hitting puberty at age 7 or 8 — a couple years earlier than average — can cause long-lasting anxiety for kids. But the right kind of parental support can help.

How To Help A Kid Survive Early Puberty

9:41am May 16, 2019

by Juli Fraga

Around 15% of girls begin menstruation by age 7. The challenges of puberty can rock anybody, but being the first of your friends to go through it can be especially stressful. Good parenting helps.

A triangle-weaver spider holds its web in tension.

Science

Spider Uses Web As Slingshot To Ensnare Prey, Scientists Find

7:32pm May 14, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

There's a type of spider that can slowly stretch its web taut and then release it, causing the web to catapult forward and entangle unsuspecting prey in its strands.

Science

Placebos May Be A Powerful Tool That Medicine Has Overlooked

6:30am May 09, 2019

by Shankar Vedantam

Physicians believe placebos work only if patients think they're getting medicine. In other words, doctors have to deceive patients. But there might be a way to get placebos to work without deception.

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Isabelle Carnell-Holdaway (left), now 17, with her mother Joanne Carnell-Holdaway. Isabelle has a dangerous infection that is being treated with a cocktail of genetically modified viruses.

Genetically Modified Viruses Help Save A Patient With A 'Superbug' Infection

5:49pm May 08, 2019

by Rob Stein

Treatment with genetically altered bacteriophages — viruses that attack bacteria — may have halted a patient's near-fatal infection, hinting at new ways to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

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