Chronic lack of sleep and poor sleep quality raise the odds of fatty plaque accumulation in arteries, which increases the odds of heart attack and stroke.

The number of women in the United States who are getting the recommended screenings for cervical cancer is "unacceptably low," researchers say.

In 2016, just over half of U.S. women aged 21 to 29 and less than two-thirds of women aged 30 to 65 were up-to-date with cervical cancer screenings, according to a new report.

Cancer.  What do you need to watch for, what are the symptoms not to ignore.  New symptoms indicate something has changed in your body, and you want to know what that means.

Researchers found that the risk of stroke for people over the age of 25 ranged from 8 percent to 39 percent, depending on where in the world they lived. The Chinese had the highest risk (with more than a 39 percent lifetime risk), followed by people in Central and Eastern Europe. The lowest risk was among those living in sub-Saharan Africa.

For pregnant women who are vitamin D-deficient, vitamin supplements won't improve the growth of their fetus or infant, Canadian researchers report. The study was done in Bangladesh, where vitamin D deficiency is common among women of reproductive age, and where 30 percent of newborns are small and the growth of 36 percent of infants under 5 is stunted.

The study included a 20-question survey of nearly 150 seniors who had used medical marijuana for chronic pain. The seniors had received their medical marijuana from dispensaries in New York or Minnesota.

The concern is that studies have shown that young Americans whose first recreational drug is marijuana are more likely to end up becoming heavy users, the study authors noted.

President Donald Trump on Wednesday put his signature on a bill allowing terminally ill patients to try unproven treatments to fight their disease. Calling access to these drugs a "fundamental freedom," Trump said he hoped it would help save lives, the Associated Press reported.

"While many investigations focus on prevention and better treatments, it's equally vital that we understand how we can optimize quality of life for the 50 million people worldwide who have dementia," said researcher Linda Clare. She's a professor at the University of Exeter in England.

Twenty-eight more illnesses caused by an E. coli outbreak tied to tainted romaine lettuce were reported by U.S. health officials on Wednesday.

Similarly, older adults in good physical health were more sexually active: Of all people who described their health as "good" to "excellent," 45 percent were sexually active, versus 22 percent of those who rated their health as "fair" to "poor."

Medical care costs in the United States can be so overwhelming that Americans fear the cost of treatment more than the illness itself, a new poll shows.
'It's shocking and unacceptable that medical bills strike more fear in the hearts of Americans than serious illness,' said Shelley Lyford.

The researchers also looked at how meats were cooked. They found that cooking meat at high temperatures for a long time -- such as grilling, broiling or frying -- was associated with about double the risk of insulin resistance.

As spring allergy season approaches, you may hear companies make bold promises to improve your health by reducing allergens in your home. Such boasts may appeal especially to the nearly 25 million American adults and children with asthma and the approximately 50 million who have allergic rhinitis, or hay fever, because the symptoms of both can be triggered by dust mites, mold, and other allergens often found in air ducts and elsewhere in the home.  Allergies, according to the CDC, are the 6th leading cause of chronic illness in the U.S.

Highly caffeinated energy drinks aren't safe for children and teens, and should not be marketed to them, a leading sports medicine organization warns.

Although vegetarian eating does have a stellar health reputation, recent news has focused on what could be bad about vegetarian diets and more stringent vegan plans, including reports of hair loss and depression.

The CDC is recommending, besides the flu vaccine for prevention, more use of antiviral medicines for treatment.

Cancer drugs have become so pricey that U.S. patients often can't afford them, a new study finds.

The findings suggest that high out-of-pocket costs may be a barrier to potentially life-saving or life-prolonging treatments, the researchers said, and raise questions about whether patients will be able to take advantage of new cancer treatments.

A spot of hot tea in the afternoon might help you save your sight, new research suggests.

The study of U.S. adults found that people who drank hot tea on a daily basis were 74 percent less likely to have glaucoma, compared to those who were not tea fans.

Experts were quick to stress that it may not be tea, itself, that wards off the eye disease. There could be something else about tea lovers that lowers their risk, said senior researcher Dr. Anne Coleman.

A bowl full of bright green steamed broccoli. You say either "Yum!" -- or "Where's the double cheeseburger?" But you know the broccoli is good for you, especially without melted cheese. The question is, how good? And more to the point, can it -- or any food -- help prevent disease, such as cancer?

Research shows that these seven foods actually help prevent cancer.

Here's to keeping your health on a tight leash: New research suggests that having a dog might boost a single person's life span.

The study tracked more than 3.4 million Swedes, middle-aged and older, for 12 years. All were free of heart disease at the beginning of the study.

The researchers reported that dog owners who lived alone were 11 percent less likely to die of heart disease and a third less likely to die from any cause, compared with those who lived alone and didn't have a dog.