Research
Massachusetts Is the Fourth-Least Obese State in the Nation
Here’s the good news: Massachusetts is the fourth-least obese state in the nation. Now, the bad news: Despite our low ranking, 23 percent of adult […]
Two Boston Hospitals Are Studying Aspirin’s Effects on Breast Cancer
Last year, Boston doctors Michelle Holmes and Wendy Chen published an op-ed in the New York Times arguing that aspirin—something many of us already have in our medicine […]
Smoking May Increase Type 2 Diabetes Risk, Study Says
As if you needed yet another reason to ditch the cigarettes, research from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) says smoking may increase your […]
Study Says Short School Lunch Breaks May Lead to Poor Nutrition
A new study says it’s not just what’s on kids’ trays that affects school lunch nutrition—how much time they’re given to eat it matters, too. […]
Brigham and Women’s Researchers Are Building Stem Cell Models of Mental Illness
As part of a new study, Brigham and Women’s Hospital researchers used stem cells to build models of the genetic mutations behind mental illnesses like […]
New Study Helps Explain Link Between Birth Control Shot and Higher HIV Risk
Several recent studies have come to the alarming conclusion that the birth control shot—a hormonal contraceptive called medroxyprogesterone acetate, also known as Depo-Provera or DMPA—may […]
Mass General Is Part of The Largest-Ever Research Project Dedicated to ALS
Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center announced Wednesday that they will collaborate on the largest-ever research project devoted to […]
Study Suggests Expanded Health Insurance May Lead to Better Treatment of Chronic Disease
A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) says broader insurance coverage, like that predicted under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), will […]
Gene Manipulation May Eventually Be Used to Treat Obesity, Study Says
A new study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Hebrew SeniorLife may have found a new explanation for why some people become obese—a […]
College Students Are Using Marijuana More Frequently Than Cigarettes, Study Says
When walking around Allston, don’t be surprised if you smell the scent of marijuana more frequently than cigarette smoke. That’s because a new study out of […]
A Local Doctor Wants to Make Cancer Research Open-Source
The world of biomedical research is notoriously secretive. Scientists and labs race to be first to a discovery—and the glory and profitability that comes with […]
New Software Could Improve Alzheimer’s Screening Methods, Research Finds
For years, a common screening method for cognitive impairments—like those that come as a result of Alzheimer’s—has been a simple test called the Clock Drawing […]
After FDA Ban, Asthma Patients Are Facing Higher Inhaler Costs
Seven years ago, as part of the Clean Air Act, the FDA banned a type of inhaler that releases ozone-depleting chemicals called CFCs into the […]
Study Says Caffeinated Coffee May Improve Colon Cancer Treatment
A new study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says something you most likely drink every day—coffee—may improve colon cancer treatment and survival rates. The study, which […]