Wellness

Caffeine levels should be reduced in energy drinks because of health risks, particularly to children, doctors wrote the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Funding for Alzheimer’s has lagged behind other medical issues, advocates say, and the disease is now the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States. Without breakthroughs, the number of those affected aged 65 and older will double by 2050.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg called for legislation to make New York the first U.S. city to require stores to conceal tobacco products, a week after a court struck down his ban on the sale of large sugary beverages.

The number of employers offering a sponsored retirement plan slightly increased in 2012 from four years prior, while matches and employer contributions remained near constant, according to a survey released today by WorldatWork and the American Benefits Institute.

Older U.S. adults may get too many colonoscopies, costing Medicare an estimated $500 million a year and putting patients at an increased risk of side effects such as bleeding, researchers found.

If a new potential therapy for slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease is successful, the use of PET scans — which cost $1,500 to $3,500 apiece — “will explode,” says one scientist involved in the research.

Bacteria — including E. coli resistant to all or nearly all antibiotics — are being seen in increasing numbers, according to news this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worse, the most dangerous kind of bacteria are growing in proportion.

People who suffer from insomnia may have an increased risk of heart failure, according to the largest study ever to investigate the link.

Agency principals and wellness directors share how their firms found success with a self-branded wellness program.

Lifestyle laws in 29 states may hamper employer efforts to maintain a strict smoke-free workplace.

Company also launches comprehensive measurement platform and succeeds in lowering its health care claims costs.

Health-contingent wellness programs can increase incentives for quitting tobacco use.

More American workers recognize the rewards of participating in workplace wellness programs, according to the latest survey from Principal Financial.

Two new FDA-approved weight loss drugs help patients lose weight but only in conjunction with diet and exercise.

The study from the National Business Group on Health and Fidelity Investments finds that nearly nine out of ten employers surveyed indicated that they currently offer wellness-based incentives (86%), an increase from 73% from 2011 and 57% from 2009.

A number of large employers and industry groups filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court this week, arguing that the conflicting dual regime of state and federal laws on gay marriage is administratively burdensome, as well as unfair to employees.

The misdiagnoses occurred most often during the doctor’s examination, including trouble getting a complete history from the patient, performing the physical exam and ordering tests, according to research published Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Americans say they’re filling up less on fast food and pizza, according to a U.S. survey.

Most wellness initiatives are baby steps when it comes to moving the needle on employee health issues and costs. To move forward, there needs to be a shift in the way companies think about their most important asset, their employees, says EBA Blogger Sam Fleet.

A study last year had already indicated that patients were more likely to die in overcrowded emergency rooms, which could well become more commonplace as millions more get insured under PPACA.