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While there is not yet enough research to support inducing autophagy for wellness purposes, your body’s ongoing natural process of breaking down and cleaning out damaged parts of cells is essential for cellular and overall health, notes the Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, early studies suggest that autophagy may be key to improving a number of health conditions. Here’s a look at what the science says so far. “Essentially, a membrane forms around material within the cells that has been marked for disposal,” explains Roberta Gottlieb, MD, a professor of cardiology and biomedical sciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles....

Well, avocado lovers, we’re here to put your questions to rest. Let’s dig in on some of the most common avocado queries, including what they are, what dietitians really think about them, and whether they are truly the perfect food for your waistline. But what is their kind? Are they considered a fruit or a vegetable? You may be surprised to learn that avocados are actually a fruit! It’s botanically considered a berry because of its fleshy pulp, large single seed, and the fact that it grows on a tree....

It turns out that the most important element — and the most dangerous — is fat. “Bad” saturated fat and trans fat raise the dangerous low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol that can lead to plaque buildup in the arteries. “Good” unsaturated fat helps lower LDL cholesterol and raise beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, which can remove LDL cholesterol and help keep arteries clear. “Of course, genetics play a role in our heart health as we age, but an unhealthy diet is a leading contributor to poor heart health,” says Meghann Featherstun, RD, a clinical dietitian and wellness coach at the University Hospitals of Cleveland Accountable Care Organization in Ohio....

More than one-third of Americans say the COVID-19 pandemic is having a serious impact on their mental health, according to a recent poll from the American Psychiatric Association. Now, more than ever, we need ways to de-stress. There are so many products touting stress relieving benefits, it can be overwhelming to know which ones to buy. We’ve done the research and read the reviews to help you choose the best stress and anxiety relief products suited for your specific needs in 2021....

RELATED: Black Health Facts Matter: A Knowledge Movement What Are SNAP Work Requirements? Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), otherwise known as food stamps, was tied to work requirements for many adults who were deemed not to have a disability, who were not in school, or who were not taking care of small children or other dependents. For now, SNAP work requirements have been suspended under a provision in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act that remains in effect as long as there is a public health emergency....

Accord Healthcare Inc., a global provider of generic and specialty pharmaceuticals, is voluntarily recalling one lot of 100-count 12.5 (milligram) mg hydrochlorothiazide tablets. Contrary to what the label says, the bottles actually contain another drug, spironolactone. Accord was made aware of the mix-up from a product complaint reported by a pharmacy, according to the FDA. Initial and interim investigations have been conducted at the manufacturing site, and according to Accord, no other lots of hydrochlorothiazide were affected by the error....

“It is most probable that the decedent suffered an unwitnessed fall backwards and struck the posterior aspect of his head. The manner of death is accident,” wrote Chief Medical Examiner Joshua D. Stephany, MD, in a statement. “A toxicology analysis did not reveal any illicit drugs or toxins.” CNN reported that the autopsy did show traces of prescription drugs in Saget’s system, including Klonopin (clonazepam), which is taken for seizures, panic disorders, and anxiety, and the antidepressant trazodone....

The analysis included data from eight studies with a total of 1.19 million women who gave birth for the first time when they were 24.6 years old on average. These women had an average of 2.3 births, and 82 percent of them said they breastfed their babies. Researchers followed these women for about a decade, starting when they were 51.3 years old on average to see whether a history of breastfeeding was associated with better heart health outcomes....

“There are many purported benefits that have been associated with taking apple cider vinegar. Unfortunately, like many other alternative or complementary therapies, the scientific evidence is very weak or lacking altogether,” says Jeffrey T. Kirchner, DO, the chief medical officer of the American Academy of HIV Medicine in Washington, DC, and a physician adviser at Penn Medicine/Lancaster General Health in Pennsylvania. RELATED: The Truth About Apple Cider Vinegar and Hepatitis C...

There’s also some buzz that coffee can contribute to weight loss. That’s partly because when enjoyed plain, coffee is a low-calorie beverage, at about 5 calories per cup, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). RELATED: How to Brew the Healthiest Cup of Coffee It Revs Your Metabolism “Coffee increases metabolism because its main component, caffeine, is a stimulant that enhances your metabolic thermogenesis, which is the process by which the body generates heat from digested food substances,” says Daniel Boyer, MD, a medical researcher in Des Moines, Iowa, who focuses on molecular biology and pharmacology, among other subjects, and is associated with the Farr Institute....

Understanding the Basics of the Paleo Diet First, know that paleo is an anti-inflammatory diet that aims to remove sugar, legumes, most dairy, grains, and refined vegetable oils like corn and soy oil. Essentially, paleo sets out to eliminate processed, so-called modern foods from our diets. Indeed, the paleo diet gets its name from its focus on the foods ancient hunter-gatherers relied on. Sounds great, right? Not so fast. Turns out, more research is needed before we can know for sure what effect this restrictive diet may have on autoimmune diseases, says Kelly Kennedy, RD, CDE, the staff dietitian at Everyday Health....

But experts say that the fruit sugar in whole fruit is not to blame for these health issues. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends several healthy diet plans to help adults with weight, all of which suggest eating 2 to 21/2 cups of fruit daily. However, only about 42 percent of U.S. adults eat that much. In contrast, Americans consume an average of 200 to 250 calories a day from sweet beverages, some of which contain fructose and might be real weight-gain causing culprits....

In a November 8 press briefing, CDC Principal Deputy Director Anne Schuchat, MD, said that recent test results point to vitamin E acetate as a “potential toxin of concern.” The compound was found in all lung tissue samples taken from 29 patients. The cannabinoid THC was found in 23 of the samples. Dr. Schuchat said these new findings are “significant,” but she cautioned that they did not rule out other possible culprits and that there may be more than one cause of the illnesses....

The 49-year-old actress wrote on Twitter that she received her diagnosis “months ago,” calling her experience thus far a “strange journey” and “a tough road.” She also touched on her experience with the MS community, saying she’s been “so supported by people that [she knows] who also have this condition.” One such supporter is actress Selma Blair — who was diagnosed with MS herself in 2017 and has shared many of her own experiences on social media and elsewhere....

Infants and young children get more colds than adults — typically six to 10 a year — and are more likely to run a fever and to suffer cold-related complications that require doctor visits. Children, along with the elderly, smokers, and individuals with serious health problems such as asthma, heart disease, cancer, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tend to suffer longer when they get colds. When Is It More Than a Cold?...

For example, urinary incontinence is common among those who do not have control over their bladder muscles. But others may have complete control over their bladder muscles. Knowing what complications and conditions occur more often with cerebral palsy can help families and individuals seek appropriate care. Children with cerebral palsy often do not meet the same developmental milestones as their peers. Infants may not gain weight as quickly as others their age, and they may remain shorter than average in childhood into adolescence and adulthood....

“Obesity affects every organ system in the body and causes negative effects on each of these systems,” says Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon and the medical director of Memorial Care Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. This doesn’t mean everyone diagnosed with obesity will face these complications, but it does mean their risk factors for developing them are higher than for someone who doesn’t fall into the obesity category....

“Over the last five years, we have learned more about how much tight glucose control impacts patient health. Much of this evidence came from three large randomized, controlled trials of tight glucose control, which showed less absolute benefit than an earlier trial conducted in the 1980s and 1990s. There has also been increasing evidence of potential harms from low blood sugar reactions, especially in older patients,” says Rodney Hayward, MD, an internist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, whose research was used to draft the new guidelines by the American College of Physicians (ACP)....

With U.S. cases peaking in many parts of the country, fact-checking organizations are finding a tremendous number of falsehoods about the pandemic in politics, news organizations, and social media, while psychologists are trying to understand why people are inclined to share the inaccuracies, according to a study published March 17 in PsyArXiv PrePrints. “We need a vaccine against misinformation,” said Mike Ryan, MD, the executive director of the health emergencies program at the World Health Organization (WHO), at a briefing on the outbreak in February....

The ability to get a child vaccinated has created a rush by some parents to secure an appointment for their child but for other parents, questions remain. This caution is understandable, says Kelly Moore, MD, MPH, president and CEO of the nonprofit Immunization Action Coalition. “Even when parents had the vaccine themselves, they still want to know how it will benefit their child before they have them get it,” she says....