Your Health

Medical researchers are no longer ignoring the people who have the most to gain — or lose. But as patient advocates become more influential, they risk being co-opted by the biomedical industry.

The prevalence of Alzheimer's and other dementias declined by almost 3 percent from 2000 to 2012, a study finds. That could be a result of people getting more education, and better health overall.

Loneliness and social isolation can affect health for the worse. A California hospital is training volunteers to provide companionship and friendly assistance.

Lung cancer affects mostly older people, but they're often not offered surgery as a treatment. A study finds that most older people can tolerate surgery, and that it extends lives.

Sugar is a major culprit in diseases such as obesity, diabetes and dementia—and because it's in almost everything we consume, Dr. Robert Lustig says it's time to get more proactive.

Entomologist Marcel Dicke wants us to reconsider our relationship with insects, promoting bugs as a tasty — and ecologically sound — alternative to meat in an increasingly hungry world.