The risks to an individual struggling with obesity are well-known: heart and endocrine issues, joint problems, psychological well-being, and more. A new study from Advanced Plan for Health shows that obesity is also risky to an employer’s bottom line, costing more than double to provide employee health insurance to those considered obese.

Tumors need a healthy supply of blood to grow and spread. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a molecule that regulates blood vessel growth that is often found at less-than-normal levels in human tumors. Blocking the expression of the molecule, called PHD2, allows human cancer cells to grow more quickly when implanted into mice and increases the number of blood vessels feeding the tumor.

An overwhelming number of Americans believe young adults and children should not have access to tanning salons without parental oversight because of the danger of skin cancer, suggests an online poll by dermanetwork.org.

“Breakthrough pain” (BTP) is a common, debilitating feature of chronic pain that frequently afflicts cancer patients. While persistent, or continuous, pain can usually be controlled through a patient’s normal oral pain medication regimen, breakthrough pain literally “breaks through” regular doses of pain medication.

A new study, published in the journal Menopause, found postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms—which include hot flashes and night sweats—had lower bone mineral density in the spine and hip.

In his book, Dr. Cohen explains how three decades ago the Federal government tried to “fix” the problem of overweight adults by recommending low-fat diets for all Americans. They were wrong. As a result, four times as many Americans are overweight. Because most Americans believe that bad advice, they gain weight as they try to diet. The government blocks efforts to help those who are overweight or who may suffer from Type 2 Diabetes, unless they conform to that misguided government policy.

Once symptoms start, there’s only a tiny window of time for stroke victims to get life-saving treatment. Now, research from the Stanford University School of Medicine has cracked that window open a bit wider.

Health savings account (HSA) owners are overwhelmingly satisfied with their accounts, and 91 percent believe such accounts should remain an option for Americans, according to a nationwide survey released today by OptumHealth. More than 80 percent of respondents cite their ability to save for future health care expenses as the primary reason for opening and depositing money into their HSAs. The survey also found that 70 percent of HSA participants make $75,000 a year or less in income.

More than half of Americans said they would consider splitting their prescription pills to save money if their doctor said it would not be detrimental to their health, according to results of a national poll conducted by Opinion Research Corp. and sponsored by UnitedHealthcare.

Human immune cells communicate constantly with one another as they coordinate to fight off infection and other threats. Now researchers at Stanford University’s School of Medicine have shown that muffling a key voice in this conversational patter is an early step in the progression of human cancers. Silencing an inter-cell signaling mechanism called the interferon pathway may be one way newly developing cancers gain the upper hand. It may also explain the immune dysfunctions seen in many cancer patients and why cancer immunotherapies are often ineffective.