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Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Some people don’t have symptoms until they have chest pain or a heart attack. A new study found that invasive treatments may not work much better than medication and lifestyle changes alone. The study followed more than 5,000 patients with stable moderate to severe heart disease for about three years. The people were divided into two groups…, Clarification: An earlier version of this story was unclear that medications were used for both treatment groups. The story was updated on 06/02/20.

As we age, our vision changes. Cataracts are one such common  change. A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye. By age 80, most people either have cataracts or have had surgery to remove them. Around age 40, the proteins in the lens of your eye start to break down and clump together. This clumping makes a cloudy area on your lens that gets worse over time. At first, you may not have…

Getting enough physical activity can make both your body and mind feel better. It can also help prevent or delay health problems. Now, researchers are looking for ways to find out which exercises may best suit your body. Different types of exercise can bring different health benefits. You can strengthen your bones with weights. Increase your flexibility with stretching. Or, improve your heart…, Influenced by Genes, Scientists know that different types of exercise have different effects on health, explains Dr. William Kraus, who studies heart disease prevention at Duke University. “The benefits vary by type, intensity, and amount of exercise,” he says. For example, his lab has observed that long bouts of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking, may be especially good at lowering blood sugar levels.…, Learning From Athletes, “There really is almost no health intervention as potent and as broad in its benefit as physical activity,” says Dr. Euan Ashley, who studies exercise and the heart at Stanford University.  Ashley, Bamman, and Kraus are involved in a large NIH-funded program looking at how exercise affects different molecules in the body. They’re also exploring how this differs between people. The team is…, The Role of Microbes, It’s not only your biology that can influence how exercise affects your body. Scientists are discovering more and more about the role of your microbiome. That’s the collection of microbes that live in and on your body.  In a recent study, researchers found changes in a certain type of gut bacteria in marathon runners. They transferred those bacteria into mice. The mice given the bacteria were…

We all get red in the face sometimes. It might be from blushing, an allergic reaction, or a sunburn. But if face redness lasts for a long time it could be a skin condition called rosacea (pronounced ro-ZAY-shah). Rosacea often starts as redness or flushing on the cheeks, nose, chin, and forehead. “There is extraordinary redness in the central part of the face,” says Dr. Richard Gallo, professor…

People with diabetes have high levels of blood sugar (or blood glucose). When blood sugar builds up too high, it causes harmful effects. A study found that African Americans with disrupted sleep have higher blood sugar levels. Previous studies have also found this link in European and Asian populations. Researchers looked at data from about 800 African American men and women who had home sleep…

Traumatic events can be scary or dangerous. These include natural disasters, accidents, or violent events. Experiencing one can affect both your body and mind. It’s common to have an intense reaction after a traumatic event. You may feel anxious, sad, or angry. Trauma can also cause trouble with sleep or concentration. You might find yourself thinking about what happened over and over. It can…

A fall, car accident, or sports injury can cause a mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion. Most people will recover in a few weeks to months. But some people’s symptoms continue long afterward. Researchers want to better understand why some people’s brains don’t heal after a concussion. This condition is called post-concussive syndrome. It may involve headaches, fatigue, or dizziness. You can…

Many people get health information from the internet. But not every online source is reliable. How do you know whether you can trust the health information you find? There are many signs you can look for. First, it’s important to find out if a website is from a trusted source. Health websites sponsored by the federal government are a good place to start. Their web addresses will be followed by “.…

Mucus has several names. Snot, the sticky goo that pours from your nose during a cold. Or phlegm, the gunk that can clog your lungs and make you cough. You probably aren’t a fan of the stuff. But mucus is so much more than a runny nose. Your body is making mucus all the time. And it plays an important role in keeping you healthy. “Mucus and phlegm get sort of a bad reputation,” says Dr. Richard…, Mucus at Work, In the next hour, you’re going to inhale thousands of bacteria. But you’ll never know it. Bacteria land on the mucus-lined surface of the lungs and get trapped. Then little hairs called cilia go to work. They push the mucus up and out of the lungs with all the trapped bacteria, viruses, and dust. “It comes up at sort of a nice slow rate to the back of the throat,” Boucher says. “And if you’re…, Too Much Mucus, You usually only notice mucus when you’re making too much of it. Or if it changes consistency. An infection can make mucus thicker and stickier. Infections also lead to [qtip: inflammation|Heat, swelling, and redness caused by the body’s protective response to injury or infection.] in the mucous membranes that line the nose and the rest of your airway. This can cause certain airway [qtip: glands|…, Colors of Mucus, Mucus can come in a range of colors. This won’t surprise you if you’ve ever looked closely at your tissues after blowing your nose. Mucus is normally clear. During a cold, you may find that your snot is cloudy or yellowish. Proteins released by the cells that cause inflammation can get stuck in the mucus and give it this color, Lane explains. He’s currently studying how cells in the nose and…, Wonders of Mucus, While excess snot and phlegm aren’t pleasant, you wouldn’t want to go without mucus. “Mucus creates a layer of protection between the outside world and you. So it’s very, very important,” Lane says. It’s not just important for people. It’s also the slime that allows a snail to move across the ground. It’s the slippery coating that protects fish against bacteria in the water. “It’s a really…

With every beat of your heart, blood carries oxygen from your lungs throughout your body. This life-sustaining process happens automatically, whether you’re awake or asleep. But for people with sickle cell disease, it often goes awry. People with this disease have an abnormal type of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells. Normally, red blood cells are flexible and shaped…, One Gene, Many Symptoms, Sickle cell disease is caused by changes in a single gene. But everyone has two copies of the gene. You inherit one copy from each parent. More than two million people in the U.S. carry one abnormal copy, called sickle cell trait. They don’t usually have any symptoms. But if you inherit two copies, the result is sickle cell disease. About 100,000 people in the U.S. live with sickle cell disease.…, New Drug Options, The most common treatment for sickle cell disease is a drug called hydroxyurea. It coaxes the adult body to make fetal hemoglobin. This increases the number of functional red blood cells. Hydroxyurea doesn’t work for everyone. But three new treatments have been approved in the last few years. Some of the newer drugs prevent sickled cells from sticking to the blood vessels. Thein’s team is testing…, Fixing the Blood Cells, Currently, the only cure for sickle cell disease is a bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow is the spongy tissue containing the [qtip: stem cells|Immature cells that have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body.] that give rise to blood cells. In a bone marrow transplant, the stem cells in the patient’s bone marrow that produce blood cells are first destroyed. Then, stem…