Eating healthy, nutrient-rich foods comes at a price, report says. But don't trade that apple for a Twinkie just yet

Buyer, beware: Eating as healthy as Uncle Sam suggests may end up costing hundreds of dollars extra per year, a new paper in the journal Health Affairs says.

Bike sharing may not only save environment, it can aid health too

Public bicycle sharing is gaining popularity in cities around the world as people are trading cars for low-cost rental bikes used for short hops around town. While it's hoped this will have a positive effect on the environment, a study finds that it may benefit people's health as well.

Salmonella will exist after possible threat from turkey passes

It’s easy to be the Monday-morning quarterback, but credit the Center for Science in the Public Interest for asking why federal regulators didn’t warn consumers sooner about the possibility that turkey from a Cargill plant in Arkansas might be tainted with salmonella.

Eagles player Mike Patterson's seizure may be due to arteriovenous malformation, but the condition is often treatable

Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Mike Patterson has been diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation after suffering a seizure on the field during practice Wednesday, according to news reports.

Creating nerve cells from skin cells offers Alzheimer's insights

What goes wrong in Alzheimer’s disease? Scientists know some things — that abnormal plaques derived from fragments of a protein called APP build up in the Alzheimer’s brain, for example, and that tangles of another protein, tau, build up too.

Cigarette packages in medical journals: New look for a new age

For two decades starting in the 1930s, the respected Journal of the American Medical Assn. (JAMA) ran advertisements for cigarettes. A long-running ad (see it and others here) proclaimed that "20,679 Physicians say 'LUCKIES are less irritating.'" All these years later, cigarette packages are  featured in a leading medical journal--the venerable New England Journal of Medicine. But the latest ones show tobacco's toll: dead bodies, blackened lungs and shattered lives.

High temperatures, big football players are dangerous combination

The risk of heat-related illnesses for high-school football players is higher than ever due to record high temperatures around the country and the fact that football players these days are bigger than ever.

Medicare drug premiums to go down in 2012

Medicare beneficiaries will see average premiums for the Part D drug benefit decline next year, the Obama administration announced Thursday, offering some relief at a time when pressure is mounting to cut the federal health insurance program in the face of rising medical costs.

Brains that can't grow new neurons are vulnerable to depression

What makes people depressed, biologically speaking?

Don't gobble that turkey: Cargill recalls ground meat amid salmonella outbreak

International food producer Cargill is recalling 36 million pounds of fresh and frozen ground turkey produced between Feb. 20 and Aug. 2 after being linked to a drug-resistant Salmonella outbreak resulting in 76 illnesses and one death in 26 states, according to a Cargill news release.

Want to live a long time? Choose your genes well

The secret to a very long life may have nothing to do with what you eat, how much exercise you get, or whether you smoke or drink. It may be because you got lucky with your gene pool, a study suggests.

Urine test for prostate cancer may be better than blood test

Prostate cancer screening may become significantly better with the use of a urine test, according to a new study.

Health food not on the menu for many California teens

Californians have a reputation for being health-food junkies, but the truth is an estimated 2 million California teens drink at least one sugary drink a day, and more than 1.6 million eat fast food at least twice a week, according to new research. Those who live or go to school in neighborhoods where fast-food restaurants and convenience stores outnumber supermarkets tend to partake in these foods more often, according to the report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Is Tiger Woods mentally and physically ready for Bridgestone?

Tiger Woods says he's back in the game. More than a month after announcing he would not be returning to golf until his leg injuries were fully healed, the star player declared himself "good to go."

Dieting makes your brain cells eat themselves

It's all shrinking-brain stuff this week in the health news world, it seems. Yesterday, we reported that obesity (as well as smoking, diabetes and high blood pressure) in midlife causes brains to shrink at an accelerated clip.

For teens, misuse of Rx drugs predicts abuse of other drugs

Adolescents who were prescribed medications and acknowledged having fooled around with them were more likely to abuse other drugs and to have sold, traded or given away their meds to friends, says a new study.

Trying to lose weight? Your environment could be making you fat

Is your house making you fat? No, we're not talking about evil spirits that may be forcing you to consume copious amounts of Chips Ahoy! cookies. There could be aspects of the design and set-up of your kitchen that subconsciously trip your triggers to eat.

Victims of sex crimes have higher risk for mental health issues

It should come as no surprise that crimes like rape and sexual assault affect more than physical well-being – they take a toll on victims’ mental health as well. A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. quantifies this, finding that women who experience gender-based violence are more than twice as likely as their peers to have some kind of mental disorder.

Age-related muscle loss may be inevitable, but an experimental drug might help

Loss of muscle mass is a fact of life starting in middle age -- we lose about 1% a year in a phenomenon called sarcopenia. Researchers say they've not only discovered the cause of that loss but may have found a drug that could help it as well.

Kings of Leon cancels tour; are singer's health issues deeper?

The Kings of Leon stunned fans when the band canceled its entire U.S. tour after an unfortunate Dallas concert in which lead singer Caleb Followill abruptly left the stage saying "I’m going to go backstage and I’m going to vomit, I’m going to drink a beer..."