Teen Health News

December 5, 2025

Top Headlines

A Routine Shingles Shot May Offer Powerful Defense Against Dementia

Dec. 3, 2025 A unique vaccine rollout in Wales gave researchers an accidental natural experiment that revealed a striking reduction in dementia among seniors who received the shingles vaccine. The protective effect held steady across multiple analyses and was ...

Scientists Reveal What Really Drives the “Freshman 15”

Dec. 3, 2025 College life creates a perfect storm for overeating, as students consume more calories when surrounded by friends, eating in dining halls, or following unstructured schedules. A four-week study using a mobile app revealed that students often ...

Doctors Are Seeing More Aggressive Breast Cancer in Younger Women Than Expected

Dec. 1, 2025 Younger women are being diagnosed with breast cancer more often than screening guidelines anticipate. Many of these cancers are invasive and harder to treat, especially in those under 40. After ...

Nov. 28, 2025 A major review across 73 countries finds that access to antiseizure medications is rising, but safe prescribing isn’t keeping pace. Valproate—linked to serious birth defects—remains widely used in many regions despite WHO warnings. Limited ...

A Common Nutrient Deficiency May Be Silently Harming Young Brains

Nov. 27, 2025 Scientists studying young adults with obesity discovered early indicators of brain stress that resemble patterns seen in cognitive impairment. The group showed higher inflammation, signs of liver strain and elevated neurofilament light chain, a ...

Just a Few Cigarettes a Day Can Damage Your Heart for Decades

Nov. 22, 2025 People who smoke only a couple of cigarettes a day still face surprisingly high risks of heart problems and early death. A large review of long-term studies shows that even very light smokers can see their risk of heart failure climb sharply. While ...

Running on Little Sleep? You’re Twice as Likely to Get Hurt

Nov. 11, 2025 Researchers found that runners who sleep poorly face nearly double the injury risk compared to those who rest well. The study highlights that sleep is not just recovery—it’s a key factor in preventing injuries. They stress that runners should ...

Scientists Find Brain Chemical Tied to Trauma and Depression

Nov. 10, 2025 Researchers identified SGK1 as a key chemical connecting childhood trauma to depression and suicidal behavior. High SGK1 levels were found in the brains of suicide victims and in people with genetic variants linked to early adversity. Drugs that ...

New Research Finds No Clear Link Between Acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Autism

Nov. 10, 2025 A sweeping review of existing studies finds no solid evidence that using acetaminophen (Tylenol) during pregnancy increases the risk of autism or ADHD in children. Researchers found that previous reviews often relied on weak or biased data, and most ...

Scientists Find Hidden Brain Damage from a Common Pesticide

Nov. 7, 2025 Prenatal exposure to the insecticide chlorpyrifos causes widespread brain abnormalities and poorer motor skills in children. Even after a residential ban, ongoing agricultural use continues to endanger developing ...

Common Acne Drug May Protect Against Schizophrenia

Nov. 6, 2025 Scientists have discovered a surprising benefit of the acne drug doxycycline: it may lower the risk of schizophrenia. Teens prescribed the antibiotic were about one-third less likely to develop the condition as adults. The effect could stem from the ...

Oct. 13, 2025 Finasteride, a common hair-loss drug, has long been tied to depression and suicide, but regulators ignored the warnings. Prof. Mayer Brezis’s review exposes global data showing psychiatric harm and a pattern of inaction by Merck and the FDA. ...

Latest Headlines

updated 9:34am EST

Simple Thyroid Check in Pregnancy May Lower Autism Risk

Nov. 29, 2025 Researchers have found that ongoing thyroid hormone imbalance in pregnancy may be linked to higher autism risk in children. Treated thyroid disorders did not show the same effect. The longer the ...

Millions Are About to Choose the Wrong Medicare Plan

Nov. 29, 2025 Millions face Medicare decisions each year, but many don’t take advantage of tools that can save them money and stress. Insurance marketing often overshadows unbiased options like SHIP, leaving ...

Scientists Reverse Kidney Damage in Mice, Hope for Humans Next

Nov. 14, 2025 Researchers uncovered how fatty molecules called ceramides trigger acute kidney injury by damaging the mitochondria that power kidney cells. By altering ceramide metabolism or using a new drug ...

Wegovy in a Pill? Massive Weight Loss Results Revealed

Nov. 6, 2025 Novo Nordisk’s oral semaglutide 25 mg achieved up to 16.6% weight loss in a landmark study, rivaling injectable Wegovy. The pill also improved cardiovascular risk factors and physical activity ...

Too Much Screen Time May Be Hurting Kids’ Hearts

Nov. 1, 2025 More screen time among children and teens is linked to higher risks of heart and metabolic problems, particularly when combined with insufficient sleep. Danish researchers discovered a measurable ...

C-Section Births Linked to Sleepless Nights and Painful Recoveries

Oct. 13, 2025 Women who undergo C-sections are more likely to experience debilitating pain and sleep disorders in the months after giving birth. Researchers found both qualitative and large-scale data supporting ...

Scientists Discover Brain Circuit That Can Switch Off Chronic Pain

Oct. 10, 2025 Scientists have pinpointed Y1 receptor neurons in the brain that can override chronic pain signals when survival instincts like hunger or fear take precedence. Acting like a neural switchboard, these ...

Nearly Half of Drivers Killed in Crashes Had THC in Their Blood

Oct. 5, 2025 Over 40% of fatal crash victims had THC levels far above legal limits, showing cannabis use before driving remains widespread. The rate didn’t drop after legalization, suggesting policy changes ...

Scientists Finally Explain the Real Reason Pregnant Women Get Morning Sickness

Sep. 29, 2025 Morning sickness isn’t just random misery—it’s a biological defense system shaped by evolution to protect the fetus. By linking immune ...

Why Gen X Women Can’t Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

Sep. 29, 2025 Researchers found that middle-aged adults, especially women, are far more likely to be addicted to ultra-processed foods than older generations. Marketing of diet-focused processed foods in the 1980s ...

AI Breakthrough Finds Life-Saving Insights in Everyday Bloodwork

Sep. 23, 2025 AI-powered analysis of routine blood tests can reveal hidden patterns that predict recovery and survival after spinal cord injuries. This breakthrough could make life-saving predictions affordable ...

Childhood Plastic Exposure Could Be Fueling Obesity, Infertility, and Asthma

Sep. 22, 2025 A sweeping review from NYU Langone Health reveals that everyday exposure to plastics—especially during childhood—poses lasting risks for heart disease, infertility, asthma, and even brain ...

Stanford Scientists Reveal Simple Shift That Could Prevent Strokes and Obesity Nationwide

Sep. 15, 2025 Switching clocks twice a year disrupts circadian rhythms in ways that harm health. Stanford scientists found permanent standard time would reduce obesity and stroke rates nationwide, making it the ...

Ozempic’s Hidden Pregnancy Risk Few Women Know About

Sep. 9, 2025 Thousands of women are using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic for weight loss without contraception, leading to unintended pregnancies and potential risks for unborn babies. Experts warn clearer medical ...

One Number at Age 7 Could Predict How Long You Live

Sep. 7, 2025 Children with higher blood pressure as young as age 7 face a sharply increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by their mid-50s, according to a massive decades-long study. Researchers found ...

Cells “vomit” Waste in a Hidden Healing Shortcut That Could Also Fuel Cancer

Aug. 30, 2025 Scientists have uncovered a surprising new healing mechanism in injured cells called cathartocytosis, in which cells "vomit" out their internal machinery to revert more quickly to a stem ...

Smoking’s Hidden Gut Bacteria Trick May Lead to New Colitis Treatments

Sep. 19, 2025 For decades, scientists have puzzled over why smoking makes Crohn’s disease worse but seems to protect people from ulcerative colitis. Now, researchers at RIKEN have discovered that smoking creates ...

Rats Walk Again After Breakthrough Spinal Cord Repair With 3D Printing

Aug. 26, 2025 University of Minnesota researchers developed a 3D-printed scaffold that directs stem cells to grow into functioning nerve cells, successfully restoring movement in rats with severed spinal cords. ...

Why Some People Age Faster. And the 400 Genes Behind It

Aug. 22, 2025 Researchers identified over 400 genes tied to various forms of frailty, offering fresh insight into why people age differently. The study highlights six distinct pathways of unhealthy aging, opening ...

Genetic Evidence Confirms Early Puberty Accelerates Aging and Disease

Aug. 20, 2025 Researchers discovered that early puberty or childbirth doubles women’s risk for major diseases and accelerates aging, while later timing offers protective benefits. Genetic analysis reveals ...

Tylenol in Pregnancy Linked to Higher Autism Risk, Harvard Scientists Report

Sep. 24, 2025 Researchers reviewing 46 studies found evidence linking prenatal acetaminophen (Tylenol) exposure with higher risks of autism and ADHD. The FDA has since urged caution, echoing scientists’ advice ...

Can a Diet Really Ease Lipoedema? Sunniva’s Journey to Pain Relief and Weight Loss

Aug. 10, 2025 Sunniva Kwapeng struggled with lipoedema, a painful condition causing disproportionate fat accumulation, until finally being diagnosed in her 40s. An NTNU study found that a low-carb diet helped ...

How Much Damage Are Ultraprocessed Foods Really Doing to Your Health?

Aug. 10, 2025 Many foods we consume today are ultraprocessed, packed with unhealthy ingredients, and linked to major health risks. As consumption of these foods rises, so do chronic health issues, especially among ...

Unwanted Pregnancies Surge With Alcohol, but Not With Cannabis, Study Finds

Aug. 1, 2025 Women who drank heavily, even though they strongly wished to avoid pregnancy, were 50% more likely to become pregnant than those who drank little or not at all, according to new research. ...

One Pregnancy Shot Slashes Baby RSV Hospitalizations by 72% — and Shields for Months

July 21, 2025 A new UK study shows that vaccinating pregnant women against RSV has led to a staggering 72% drop in hospitalizations of newborns with severe lung infections. By passing virus-fighting antibodies to ...

Three-Person DNA IVF Stops Inherited Disease—eight Healthy Babies Born in UK First

July 18, 2025 In a groundbreaking UK first, eight healthy babies have been born using an IVF technique that includes DNA from three people—two parents and a female donor. The process, known as pronuclear ...

Sweet but Risky: Common Sweeteners May Be Accelerating Puberty in Kids

July 15, 2025 Kids who consume artificial and natural sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and glycyrrhizin may face an increased risk of early puberty, especially if they carry specific genetic markers. This ...

The Sleep-Heart Link Doctors Are Urging Women Over 45 to Know

July 9, 2025 Midlife sleep habits may matter more than previously thought. A large study finds that poor sleep, alongside high blood pressure and nicotine use, sharply increases the risk of heart problems in ...

Pregnancy’s 100-Million-Year Secret: Inside the Placenta’s Evolutionary Power Play

July 6, 2025 A group of scientists studying pregnancy across six different mammals—from humans to marsupials—uncovered how certain cells at the mother-baby boundary have been working together for over 100 ...

Researchers Tested 200 Toddlers — 96 Chemicals Were Lurking in Their Bodies

July 2, 2025 Researchers testing urine from 2- to 4-year-olds in four U.S. states uncovered 96 different chemicals, many of them unmonitored and linked to hormone and brain disruption. Legacy toxins like ...