Gut Check Archives

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Going to college or being married is associated with a higher risk of brain cancer, according to a new study. But is that really so?

Could going to college or being married give you brain cancer?

By Sharon Begley

Paul J. Richards/Getty Images To prevent one fatal heart attack or stroke, 125 patients have to…

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Although we think if a doctor prescribes a medication that it's going to help, a lot of therapies benefit very few patients.

What are the odds that your medication will help you get better?

By Sharon Begley

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The largest-ever analysis of exercise and cancer found that the most frequent exercisers had a lower risk of various types of cancer.

Does exercise prevent cancer?

By Sharon Begley

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An online tool to predict patients' risk of heart attack or stroke is inaccurate, leading many people to take statins they don't need.

Could this widely used calculator be needlessly driving people to take statins?

By Sharon Begley

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The widely believed claim that skipping breakfast makes you gain weight is based on voluminous but weak research.

Does skipping breakfast make you gain weight?

By Sharon Begley

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Women with DCIS who do not receive "timely" radiation therapy have a higher risk of developing malignant breast tumors, a new study finds.

For this controversial breast abnormality, is radiation treatment needed?

By Sharon Begley

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Doctors are wildly overdiagnosing asthma, dispensing steroid inhalers like lollipops, and possibly putting kids at risk, according to a new analysis.

Are doctors overdiagnosing asthma?

By Sharon Begley

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Evidence is lacking that screening young children for developmental delays, though they seem fine to their parents and pediatrician, prevents later problems.

Does screening children for developmental delays prevent learning problems?

By Sharon Begley

Mario Tama/Getty Images Physical exercise can have modest benefits for the brain, studies suggest.

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The weight of the evidence says there is a modest cognitive benefit from physical exercise.

Does exercise keep the brain young?

By Sharon Begley

APStock Colonoscopy probes the colon for signs of precancerous polyps as well as…

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Many doctors recommend colonoscopy over fecal tests, despite evidence that both are equally effective at preventing colorectal cancer.

Is colonoscopy the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening?

By Sharon Begley

Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images There is little proof that moving the clock ahead is causing cardiovascular…

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Daylight saving time probably isn't causing cardiovascular events that would not have happened anyway.

Not just lost sleep: Can switching to daylight saving time kill you?

By Sharon Begley

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images Falling asleep on the couch is a clue you're not getting enough…

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A close look at the research suggests that we don't need a full night of uninterrupted sleep to be alert during the day.

Do we really need eight solid hours of sleep at night?

By Sharon Begley

Bill Poovey/AP Employees at a Volkswagen assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn., participate in a…

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There is surprisingly little solid evidence that workplace wellness programs improve employees' health.

Do workplace wellness programs improve employees’ health?

By Sharon Begley

John Innes Centre UK via Getty Images Genetically engineered tomatoes, designed to contain very high levels of antioxidants called…

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Antioxidants are big business, sold as dietary supplements to promote health. But research suggests they can make cancer cells more aggressive.

Do antioxidants promote health — or fuel cancer?

By Sharon Begley

David Ramos/Getty Images A woman holds a picture of a sheep as she try to…

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The percent of people developing dementia each year is falling significantly, according to one US study. But is it representative of the country as a whole?

Are we facing an Alzheimer’s armageddon?

By Sharon Begley

Harry Benson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Part of smoking's appeal — epitomized by actresses like Patty Duke in…

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Economists' new study claims the big drop in smoking was a major contributor to the US obesity epidemic.

Fewer Americans smoke. More are obese. Is there a connection?

By Sharon Begley

Mel Evans/AP

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Studies have found that pot smokers have low IQs, but a new study of twins indicates it's not the marijuana that's to blame.

Does smoking pot actually make you stupid?

By Sharon Begley

Evening Standard/Getty Images David Bowie died of cancer on Sunday at the age of 69.

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Some say people suffering from chronic illness can delay their demise by a few days. Could this have been the case for David Bowie?

David Bowie died days after his birthday and album release. Did he delay death?

By Sharon Begley

Pat Wellenbach/AP Suicides are postponed from Christmas until January, studies suggest.

NATALIA BRONSHTEIN/STAT

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The long-held notion that suicides peak around Christmas is a myth, but January brings a rebound in US suicides after a December dip.

Christmas suicide surge is a myth, but what about the January rebound?

By Sharon Begley

APStock

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A new study concludes that prenatal exposure to antidepressants might increase the risk of autism, but falls short of proving that.

Do antidepressants during pregnancy increase baby’s autism risk?

By Sharon Begley

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A study finds acupuncture effective for neck pain, but buries the real explanation for its results.

Does acupuncture work for chronic pain in the neck?

By Sharon Begley

APStock Scientists have long tried to understand sex-based differences in human brains.

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A study concludes that sex differences in the brain are much more complex than widely thought, with almost everyone having "male" and "female" features.

There’s no such thing as a male or female brain, study finds

By Sharon Begley

Mario Tama/Getty Images The verdict on possible health benefits from drinking coffee remains less than…

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A new study adds to research showing an association between coffee-drinking and a lower risk of dying early, but it does not prove coffee caused the mortality reduction.

Will drinking coffee extend your life?

By Sharon Begley

National Institute on Aging An illustration shows amyloid plaques in the spaces between the brain’s nerve…

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Drugs that target beta-amyloid, the molecule widely considered the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, make neurons function worse — at least in mice.

Top Alzheimer’s approach makes (mice) brains worse

By Sharon Begley

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