The rapid expansion of legalized sports betting in the US has fueled a significant increase in gambling addiction, with calls to helplines surging and treatment providers overwhelmed by demand.

While the industry generates substantial revenue, it also imposes hidden costs on society, including financial ruin, mental health problems and strained public resources.

Now the question is, can we bring this emerging public health crisis to heel?

Gatorade claims its alkaline water will hydrate you into peak performance, but it's just pricey H2O bolstered by clever marketing. Save yourself a few bucks and drink the stuff from the tap instead.

During the recent battle over FDA's decision ban the use of Red No. 3 in food and ingested drugs, few commentators answered a fundamental question: why do food makers use dyes in the first place? The press framed the answer as a corporate ploy to sell more candy, but the story's a bit more complicated than that. Let's take a closer look.

With prescription opioid overdoses plummeting and no more pharma companies to sue, America's drug warriors are running out of bogeymen to justify their crusade against pain killers. The solution? Redefine responsible opioid use as a disorder and turn millions of chronic pain patients into addicts—at least on paper.

The medical journal The Lancet recently published a detailed consensus statement classifying obesity as a disease. The statement has engendered both widespread support and criticism. Did the expert panel make the right call? Let's take a closer look.

USDA's Thrifty Food Plan aims to help low-income Americans eat well without breaking their modest budgets. It's an altruistic attempt to promote public health. But this bureaucratic project to promote nutrition lacks what so many other government programs do: the ability to incentivize healthy living at scale.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently published a study perpetuating the myth that opioid prescriptions launched the ongoing drug overdose epidemic. Two ACSH experts took the clinic to task for sloppy data analysis designed to justify a predetermined conclusion about the risks of painkillers. Let's take a closer look.

Article discussed: Opioid Bogeymen: ACSH Advisor Takes Mayo Clinic to Task, for Its Pain Management Fairytale

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Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are widely used to control pain. They are typically quite effective and safe to use as directed. But many people can't rely on them owing to their sometimes serious side effects—including an increased risk of heart attack. In short, NSAIDs are essential drugs with real limitations. Let's take a look at the most popular of these medicines.

Article discussed: NSAIDs: Pick Your Poison

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Despite significant decreases in cholesterol numbers, cardiovascular disease rates in the US have hit a standstill. Can we restart the decline, or have we reached the limits of our ability to combat this persistent condition?

Story discussed: Chasing Cholesterol

A trucker who took CBD oil for pain control was abruptly fired after failing a drug test that found THC, the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana, in his system. Although the product was marketed as THC free–a claim the man verified with the manufacturer–it was not and federal law mandated his termination. It's yet another case of awful drug laws and even worse science harming good people.

Story discussed: