Slight Tylenol Overdose Can Be Fatal

Unknowingly mixing acetaminophen products may cause ODs

(NEWSER) - Experts say we needn’t be scared off by a panel’s push for limits on acetaminophen—but it’s important to take it in moderation, which can be harder than it sounds, writes Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal. “It’s sneaking up on people,” says one professor—partly because acetaminophen is in a wide variety of drugs, leading people to take vast amounts without realizing it. More»

(NEWSER) - An outside panel reporting to the Food and Drug Administration recommended today that the maximum daily dosage of Tylenol be reduced and the Extra Strength variety of the painkiller be available only by prescription, Bloomberg reports. The panel of advisers, whose suggestions are nonbinding, noted acetaminophen’s effect on the liver. The panel also recommended that prescription painkillers Vicodin and Percocet be banned. More»

Diabetes, prediabetes rates in teens take big jump: study

(NEWSER) - Turns out the kids aren't alright: Some 23% of American teenagers have diabetes or prediabetes; 10 years ago, that number was 9%, a new study says. Researchers stumbled on the find while analyzing data on nearly 3,400 adolescents, trying to explain their susceptibility to cardiovascular disease. Teen rates of high cholesterol, hypertension, and obesity were all about the same—but the diabetes numbers jumped out, the Washington Post reports. More»

Study suggests nighttime fasting is effective

(NEWSER) - Want to lose weight, but can't bear to give up french fries? Well, there might be a "diet" of sorts that lets you indulge—provided you do it early. A new study has found that eating early, and then fasting at night, could be a powerful weight-loss strategy, the LA Times reports. "We have come up with something that is a simple alternative to calorie counting," the biologist who led the study boasted. More»

'Alters your brain's ability to learn and remember information,' says researcher

(NEWSER) - Too much high-fructose corn syrup could do more than just make you fat : It could also make you stupid. A new study on rats found that after just six weeks on a high-fructose diet, the rats’ brain synaptic activity had been so affected that they had trouble recalling a maze route they had learned, LiveScience reports. However, a second group of rats had also received omega-3 fatty acids and was able to navigate the maze much faster after six weeks, suggesting that might be one way to protect yourself against the damages of high fructose. More»