Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
Most Americans get more than half their calories from ultra-processed foods, those super-tasty, energy-dense foods typically full of sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, according to a new federal report.Nutrition research has shown for years that ultra-processed foods make up a big chunk of the U.S. diet, especially for kids and teens.For the first time, however, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed those high levels of consumption, using dietary data collected from August 2021 to August 2023.The report comes amid growing scrutiny of such foods by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who blames them for causing…
Not only does Airbnb want to be the “everything app” — where users can book literally everything, from accommodations to experiences and services — it also wants to do the booking for you.Brian Chesky, cofounder and CEO of Airbnb, laid out his vision for the travel app’s AI-powered future during the company’s second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Airbnb beat revenue expectations for quarter two and announced a $6 billion stock buyback, but said it expected slower growth in Q3. The stock was down more than 6% after-hours.”Over the next couple of years, I think what you’re going to see is…
By Steve GormanLOS ANGELES (Reuters) -Wildfires that devastated parts of the Los Angeles area in January indirectly led to hundreds of deaths in the ensuing weeks, far exceeding the official toll of 31 fatalities, according to a study released on Wednesday.The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, or JAMA, estimated 440 “excess deaths” were attributable to the fires from January 5 to February 1, using models that compared predicted mortality under normal circumstances to actual numbers documented during that period.The additional deaths likely reflect a mix of factors, including increased exposure of people with heart and…
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — Harvard University professor Alberto Ascherio’s research is literally frozen. Collected from millions of U.S. soldiers over two decades using millions of dollars from taxpayers, the epidemiology and nutrition scientist has blood samples stored in liquid nitrogen freezers within the university’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The samples are key to his award-winning research, which seeks a cure to multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. But for months, Ascherio has been unable to work with the samples because he lost $7 million in federal research funding, a casualty of Harvard’s fight with the Trump administration.“It’s like…
Bumble isn’t giving up on helping people find and make new friends.In fact, it’s doubling down on Bumble For Friends (BFF) and gearing up to launch a new version of the app in August, the company announced during its second quarter earnings call.Bumble’s CEO, Whitney Wolfe Herd, said the BFF app is “one of our most exciting long-term growth opportunities, especially as demand for friendship, real-world connection, and belonging continues to grow.”The new version of the BFF app is built on Geneva, a community-focused social platform Bumble acquired in 2024, as well as Bumble’s safety infrastructure, Wolfe Herd said. She…
Craving french fries? Dunking your spuds in a deep fryer might be a recipe for elevating your risk of Type 2 diabetes.According to a study published Wednesday in the journal BMJ, swapping out your weekly dose of frites for boiled, baked or mashed potatoes could lower your risk of this chronic condition.The authors examined the diets of more than 205,000 adults in the U.S. who responded to questionnaires about what they ate over nearly four decades. Among those who consumed potatoes, the authors looked at which people developed Type 2 diabetes, a disease that leads to persistently high blood sugar…
Although mRNA vaccines saved millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. incorrectly argued they are ineffective to justify the Department of Health and Human Service’s recent decision to cancel $500 million in government-funded research projects to develop new vaccines using the technology.The longtime vaccine critic said in an X video posted Tuesday evening that mRNA vaccines do not adequately prevent upper respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu, advocating instead for the development vaccines that use other processes.COVID-19 is the only virus for which real-world data on mRNA vaccine effectiveness is currently…
A Massachusetts mom says her infant daughter may be the patient that state health officials recently said is under investigation for contracting a rare tick-borne virus infection.”Public health officials are investigating preliminary results of a Powassan virus infection in a Martha’s Vineyard resident,” Barnstable County said in a press release Tuesday, without identifying the resident.Barnstable County, which comprises the 15 towns of Cape Cod and sits just north of Martha’s Vineyard, said that according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has been just one other known case of Powassan virus in the area in the…
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Luis Suárez scored and had two assists, and Inter Miami beat Pumas 3-1 on Wednesday night to advance in the Leagues Cup.Miami played the match without Lionel Messi, who is sidelined indefinitely with what the team described as a minor muscle injury in his right leg. Messi was hurt in the opening minutes of Inter Miami’s win over Necaxa on Saturday. He was in attendance for Wednesday’s match and watched from a suite at Chase Stadium.Miami, which has eight points in the Major League Soccer Leagues Cup standings, is the first MLS club through to…
In January, Dr. Elisabeth Potter said she was midway through performing a breast reconstruction surgery when a call from a representative from UnitedHealthcare came into the operating room. The health insurance company wanted to talk about the patient on the table.“I got a phone call into the operating room saying that UnitedHealthcare wanted to talk to me and that they wanted to talk to me now,” Potter, a plastic surgeon, told NBC News. Potter posted a video on TikTok recounting the call that’s reached nearly 6 million views.During the call she said the UnitedHealthcare representative wanted more information on why…