Hacker News with Generative AI: Health

CDC terminates flu vaccine promotion campaign (npr.org)
As flu rages, the Trump administration has pulled the plug on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flu immunization campaign that targeted high-risk groups, including pregnant women.
Health, Public Health, US Politics, Vaccines, Influenza
72 points by throw0101d 3 hours ago | 69 comments
'Healthy' Vitamin B12 Levels Not Enough to Ward Off Neuro Decline (ucsf.edu)
Meeting the minimum requirement for vitamin B12, needed to make DNA, red blood cells and nerve tissue, may not actually be enough – particularly if you are older. It may even put you at risk for cognitive impairment.
Health, Nutrition, Aging, Cognitive Decline, Vitamin B12
7 points by geox 21 hours ago | 0 comments
Lifestyle and environmental factors affect health and ageing more than our genes (ox.ac.uk)
A new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health has shown that a range of environmental factors, including lifestyle (smoking and physical activity) and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes.
Health, Genetics, Lifestyle, Environment, Aging
54 points by gnabgib 23 hours ago | 25 comments
Trillions of Viruses Live in Your Body. A.I. Is Trying to Find Them. (nytimes.com)
The viruses we know best are the ones that make us sick — the influenza viruses that send us to bed and the smallpox viruses that may send us to the grave.
Viruses, Artificial Intelligence, Human Body, Science, Health
6 points by bookofjoe 1 day ago | 1 comments
Google Ad-Tech Targets National Security Decision Makers, People with Diseases (wired.com)
A WIRED investigation into the inner workings of Google’s advertising ecosystem reveals that a wealth of sensitive information on Americans is being openly served up to some of the world’s largest brands despite the company’s own rules against it.
Google, Advertising, Privacy, National Security, Health
5 points by impish9208 1 day ago | 0 comments
Trump administration yanks CDC flu vaccine campaign (npr.org)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is stopping a successful flu vaccination campaign that juxtaposed images of wild animals, such as a lion, with cute counterparts, like a kitten, as an analogy for how immunization can help tame the flu.
Health, Politics, Public Health, Government, CDC
16 points by perihelions 1 day ago | 0 comments
Show HN: LookAway – a native macOS app for building healthy screen habits (lookaway.app)
LookAway helps reduce eye strain, digital fatigue, and maintain better posture—so you can end your day feeling good, not drained.
macOS, Productivity, Health, Software
23 points by _kush 1 day ago | 13 comments
Low-carb diets work. Why does American Diabetes Assoc. push insulin? (2024) (theguardian.com)
For a glimpse into how big business influences the $4tn US healthcare system, look no further than the world’s most powerful diabetes advocacy and research non-profit, the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
Health, Nutrition, Diabetes, Advocacy, Business
18 points by hilux 2 days ago | 9 comments
Scented products cause indoor air pollution on par with car exhaust (newatlas.com)
Using scented products indoors changes the chemistry of the air, producing as much air pollution as car exhaust does outside, according to a new study.
Environmental Science, Health, Pollution, Chemistry
366 points by clumsysmurf 2 days ago | 192 comments
Staphylococcus aureus 'steals' iron from our blood during infections (phys.org)
Researchers have revealed how Staphylococcus aureus bacteria extract iron from hemoglobin—a process crucial to their survival during infections.
Science, Bacteria, Biology, Health, Medicine
20 points by gmays 2 days ago | 1 comments
Broken legs and ankles heal better if you walk on them within weeks (scientificamerican.com)
Twenty years ago my husband, Mark, broke his left ankle and was in a cast and on crutches for nearly two months. Last year he broke the other ankle. But this time, after surgery, his doctor surprised us by instructing Mark to walk on it two weeks later.
Health, Injuries, Medicine, Research
601 points by sohkamyung 2 days ago | 324 comments
Clock Drawing Test (utoronto.ca)
The clock drawing test is a cognitive test that evaluates how well the brain is working.
Cognitive Tests, Health, Neuroscience
7 points by thunderbong 2 days ago | 1 comments
Life expectancy growth stalls across Europe as England sees sharpest decline (theguardian.com)
Life expectancy improvement is stalling across Europe with England experiencing the biggest slowdown. Experts are blaming this on an alarming mix of poor diet, mass inactivity and soaring obesity.
Health, Europe, England, Demographics, Social Trends
34 points by pseudolus 3 days ago | 48 comments
Water chlorination levels in US and EU likely increase cancer risk (pressreader.com)
Health, Cancer, Water Treatment, Public Health, Europe
14 points by oliverchan2024 3 days ago | 1 comments
'Triangle of death': will Italy tackle mafia's toxic waste dumping? (theguardian.com)
Cancer rates have soared in Casalnuovo di Napoli, Italy, where burying or burning of waste has poisoned water and land
Mafia, Environmental Issues, Italy, Crime, Health
4 points by rntn 3 days ago | 0 comments
Migraine is more than a headache – a rethink offers hope (nature.com)
Migraine is more than a headache — a radical rethink offers hope to one billion people
Health, Neurology, Medical Research, Pain Management
256 points by rntn 3 days ago | 237 comments
Ikarians have low rates of dementia and a unique diet (nypost.com)
You’ve probably heard of the so-called “blue zones” — five areas in the world that longevity expert Dan Buettner identified as having residents who routinely live to be over 100.
Health, Diet, Longevity, Greece
4 points by keepamovin 4 days ago | 2 comments
Programming with chronic pain (thomasvogelaar.me)
If you know me personally you’ll know that I’ve dealt with chronic pain for years. Mainly, I’ve had issues with my shoulders, arms and wrists/hands. Despite a myriad of medical appointments, physios, scans, etc. it persists.
Programming, Health, Chronic Pain
159 points by thomasvogelaar 4 days ago | 84 comments
Census reveals high disability rates among gender-diverse Canadians (medicalxpress.com)
Using data from the latest census, York University researchers from the Faculty of Health found Canadians who identify as gender diverse experience disability at rates much higher than their cis counterparts. In particular, nonbinary individuals consistently had the highest levels of disabilities, followed by binary-transgender individuals.
Disability, Gender Identity, Health, Canada, Research
5 points by PaulHoule 4 days ago | 0 comments
Are noise-cancelling headphones to blame for young people's hearing problems? (bbc.com)
Whether it's the echo of beeping tills in a supermarket or the hissing of a coffee machine in your local café, the brain is constantly working to decode hundreds of noises each day.
Hearing Loss, Noise Pollution, Headphones, Health, Technology
66 points by vinni2 4 days ago | 68 comments
Woman who had pioneering cancer treatment 18 years ago still in remission (theguardian.com)
A woman treated with a pioneering type of immunotherapy for a solid tumour has been in remission for more than 18 years with no further treatments, experts have revealed.
Cancer Treatment, Medical Breakthrough, Immunology, Health, Science
84 points by ranit 4 days ago | 14 comments
Water chlorination levels in US and EU likely increase cancer risk (theguardian.com)
Chlorinating drinking water at levels common in the United States and European Union probably increases the risk of several cancers, a new analysis of recent research from across the globe finds.
Health, Cancer, Water Treatment, Public Health, Environmental Science
3 points by kawera 4 days ago | 1 comments
Bill to ban mRNA vaccines passes out of House committee (dailyinterlake.com)
A bill that would ban the use of mRNA vaccines, including for Covid-19, is on its way to the House floor after passing out of committee in a party-line vote Wednesday.
Politics, Health, Vaccines, COVID-19
10 points by belter 4 days ago | 1 comments
Are noise-cancelling headphones to blame for young people's hearing problems? (bbc.co.uk)
Whether it's the echo of beeping tills in a supermarket or the hissing of a coffee machine in your local café, the brain is constantly working to decode hundreds of noises each day.
Hearing Loss, Audio Technology, Health
7 points by audiovideo 5 days ago | 4 comments
Uncertainty surrounds US participation in WHO flu strain selection meeting (cidrap.umn.edu)
A World Health Organization (WHO)-led advisory committee meeting to recommend the seasonal flu strains to include in the Northern Hemisphere’s 2025-2026 flu season is slated to meet on February 28, but it's unclear if US members will participate following an executive order from President Trump that withdraws the country from the WHO, a top WHO official said yesterday during a WHO briefing on global health issues.
Health, Flu, Politics, United States
18 points by perihelions 5 days ago | 1 comments
670nm red light exposure improved aged mitochondrial function, colour vision (nature.com)
Mitochondrial decline in ageing robs cells of ATP. However, animal studies show that long wavelength exposure (650–900 nm) over weeks partially restores ATP and improves function.
Science, Biology, Aging, Health, Light Therapy
325 points by walterbell 5 days ago | 221 comments
Alzheimer's Disease as Type 3 Diabetes (gethealthspan.com)
Over the past several decades, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has been predominantly explained through the lens of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, yet an emerging paradigm shift increasingly recognizes metabolic dysfunction—specifically, insulin resistance—as a key driver of AD.
Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes, Neuroscience, Health, Research
13 points by dtawfik1 5 days ago | 3 comments
First patient in UK tests new treatment for loss of sense of smell (theguardian.com)
Smell loss was a defining symptom of Covid, and for some people, a curse. Most people regain their sense of smell as their infection fades, but some never recover. It means not being able to tell if milk is off, if there’s a gas leak or what your newborn baby smells like.
Health, Covid-19, Medical Research, Smell Loss
3 points by bookofjoe 6 days ago | 0 comments
Why aren't we losing our minds over the plastic in our brains? (scientificamerican.com)
Our brains are full of plastic.
Neuroscience, Health, Environment, Plastic
94 points by mikhael 6 days ago | 175 comments
Dust from car brakes more harmful than exhaust, study finds (e360.yale.edu)
In cars, pollution doesn’t come from exhaust alone. It also comes from wear and tear on roads, tires, and brakes. According to new research, tiny bits of dust cast off by brake pads may inflict more harm than car exhaust.
Environmental Science, Transportation, Health, Pollution
450 points by Brajeshwar 6 days ago | 454 comments