Many more Denver teens have experienced homelessness than official counts show

Denver saw an increase in youth homelessness from 10% to 25% between 2017 and 2021, according to our study recently published in the peer-reviewed journal “Pediatrics.” We are two physicians…

Just having a pet doesn’t help mental health – but pet-owners with secure relationships with their pets are less depressed

For many people, pets provide unconditional love, companionship and a sense of security. But not all human-pet relationships are beneficial, and some may contribute to stress and anxiety rather than…

How Nutriset, a French company, has helped alleviate hunger and create jobs in some of the world’s poorest places

About 19 million children under 5 around the world suffer from severe acute malnutrition every year. This life-threatening condition kills 400,000 of them – that’s one child every 10 seconds.…

Many gluten-free foods are high in calories and sugar, low on fiber and protein, and they cost more − new research

U.S. consumers often pay more for gluten-free products, yet these items typically provide less protein and more sugar and calories compared with gluten-containing alternatives. That is the key finding of…

Rural Americans don’t live as long as those in cities − new research

Rural Americans – particularly men – are expected to live significantly shorter, less healthy lives than their urban counterparts, according to our research, recently published in the Journal of Rural…

With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research

In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. That is the key finding of my recent study,…

Black adults with long COVID report higher levels of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts − new research

Black adults living with long COVID pointed to challenges with their physical health – rather than their mental health – when asked to describe their long-COVID symptoms. That is one…

Blood tests are currently one-size-fits-all − machine learning can pinpoint what’s truly ‘normal’ for each patient

If you’ve ever had a doctor order a blood test for you, chances are that they ran a complete blood count, or CBC. One of the most common blood tests…

208 million Americans are classified as obese or overweight, according to new study synthesizing 132 data sources

Nearly half of adolescents and three-quarters of adults in the U.S. were classified as being clinically overweight or obese in 2021. The rates have more than doubled compared with 1990.…

Light exercise can yield significant cognitive benefits, new research shows

Everyday physical activity, like going for a short walk or playing with the kids, may provide short-term benefits for cognitive health, equivalent to reversing four years of cognitive aging. That…